Equivalent trade Cross and Snake
by OKami-hu
Summary: Al got his body back and became a state alchemist. He's on an assignment, following a criminal when he meets somebody, who should be dead... (I just renamed the story)
1. Old Acquaintances

**Disclaimer**: World & characters are the property of Arakawa Hiromu and Square/Enix. However, the fic itself belongs to me (OKami). I have to stress that – sadly - I'm not making any money from this.

**Rating**: PG maybe; but only because there's a gay guy in it

**Pairing**: Greed x Alphonse (sort of…)

**Warnings**: none. For once.

** Beta-reader**: Mufurc

**Note**: This story is dedicated to Mufurc, celebrating her newest perversion for which I am to be hold responsible in the first place. Go me. Don't worry Mufy, if you're in it, it doesn't hurt anymore.

**Note2**: The world is AU, because Greed is alive and well (and how well! XD). Dolchet is alive as well because I happen to like him. It also takes place after the currently predicable end of the series – Al got his body back and became a state alchemist, yadda, yadda. Ah, you'll see.

Equivalent trade

Part 1

Caramel eyes scanned the closed and sealed door, the broken glass, the thick layer of dust. Damn, the source of the information was a reliable one so why did the clue prove to be false??

The Devil's Nest must have been closed for years, which was not even that surprising. Alphonse remembered the events well; he'd been part of them. It was a rather bloody affair.

The blond youth turned and began to walk off. He has to find another thread leading to his target.

"Hay, Mista'!"

Al tilted his head to the side to face an old beggar grinning at him.

"Yes?"

"Lookin' fer the Devil's Nest, ey? I can tell ya where it is…"

Al nodded. Equivalent trade. He took a banknote from his pocket and put it into the beggar's hat.

"I'm listening."

"Go to Rush Street, it's inna city centa'. Thirteenth numba, big flashy place, can't miss it."

Alphonse bowed.

"Thank you."

The blonde youth stopped in front of the large, three-story building and whistled in astonishment. The beggar was right. The Devil's Nest just moved to Rush Street, the city's broadest, richest avenue. It was amazing to see, how much the place developed in two years; the backward, dusty little town turned to a beautiful, rich and busy city. Thanks to crime mainly but heck. It was at least easier to find the criminals because they all gathered here.

Al carefully pulled his coat a little closer around himself to cover the silver chain hanging on his right. He remembered well, how people hated State Alchemists back then. The situation had changed a little since those days but the old grudges still held their ground.

He tilted his head up and went straight in.

The new Devil's Nest proved to be a casino with a huge bar in the far end of the room. Elegantly-dressed men and women played, talked, laughed and drank by every table. The air was filled with the scent of money; jewels glittered, gold shone and quiet jazz music played.

A beautiful woman dressed in an embarrassingly short red velvet dress approached the young alchemist.

"Welcome to the Devil's Nest, sir!" She smiled. "May I help you?"

"Thank you very much," Al nodded his head with a polite smile." "But I'm just looking for somebody. I'm not very familiar with the games, so I think I'll just have a drink."

"I see. Well, if you're interested in something, just look for me and I'll be happy to help you. My name is Tina."

"I most certainly will."

"Have a nice day."

Al took a deep breath when the woman left, then headed to the bar. As soon as he settled down, the barkeeper turned to him.

"What should it be?"

The blond boy blinked. If he wanted to be taken seriously, he had to drink alcohol but Al has never had any in his life…

"Something… light, please. What could you offer?"

The man smiled a little then took a bottle filled with some deep reddish-pink liquid. The fixed the drink for the boy and gave him the glass with a nod.

"Passionate seduction. Iced strawberry vodka with lemon juice. Enjoy."

Al smiled uncertainly but took the glass and sipped the drink cautiously. Well, it tasted nice.

"Thank you, this is delicious," he nodded to the man. "You see…" He took another sip. "I'm looking for a guy called Ken Evans. I have some business with him."

"What kind of?" The barkeeper leaned closer.

"I heard that he might be able to get me… something," Alphonse said quietly. "They told me that he often shows up around here. Do you know how could I find him?"

"Hmm, he could be here somewhere…" The barkeeper rubbed his chin. "This place is huge but if you have a minute, I can ask the girls here if they had seen him."

"I won't be ungrateful." Al reached inside his coat and passed a few larger banknotes to the man behind the counter.

"I'll be right back."

A few minutes passed but the barkeeper still hadn't returned. Al sipped his drink with growing nervousness. He could easily die here if they find out that he's the dog of the military; swords and guns are much quicker than alchemy.

When a hand grabbed his shoulder, he almost jumped. He felt somebody to lean to his ears and he heard a low whisper.

"What business could a State Alchemist have with a smuggler?"

Al swallowed. He had to gain some time.

"What if I need something only he could get me?"

There was a pause then the hand released him. Al turned immediately and he gasped. In front of him, there stood a man with broad shoulders and light-colored hair, dressed in gold-embroidered, rich brown and sapphire blue clothes. A sword hung on his side. And the boy knew him.

"It is nice to meet you, Alphonse Elric." The man smiled. "You may look different but your scent and voice are the same.

"Dolchet…"

"Come with me now," the swordsman waved. "I'll take you to my boss. You should talk to him if you want information on Ken Evans."

Al followed the chimera.

"Um, Dolchet… Why did you say that my scent was the same?"

"I was crossed with a dog so I have a very keen sense of smell. And even when you were a suit of armor… beneath the smell of metal, something softer lingered. Something, that is much stronger around you now."

Al smiled to himself a little.

Dolchet knocked on the door and it opened up revealing a small-framed young woman with a blonde pony-tail. She wore tight-fitting black trousers and a black tank-top.

"Who's that?" She asked, looking at Al suspiciously. "Y'know that the boss doesn't like it when…

"Don't you recognize him, Martel?" Dolchet snickered. "You were very… close to each other once."

"Huh??"

"He's Alphonse Elric."

"Good day, Miss Martel!" Al waved, smiling.

The blonde woman's eyes grew wide, then, without a warning, she threw her arms around Al's neck.

"Hey, kiddo, you tuned to be a fine guy!" She laughed.

"Thank you, Miss Martel. It is nice to see you again."

"Come in! What brought you here?"

"I, err, well, I'm looking for somebody…"

"Ken Evans," Dolchet added.

"Ken Evans. Why is a State Alchemist looking for a guy like Evans?"

Al tilted his head up, and when he noticed the man who spoke, his jaw dropped. The tall, dark figure stepped out of the shadows and grinned at the blond boy.

"Hi, kid."

"G… G… Greed?!"

"The one and only." The homunculus spread his arms.

"B… But I thought you were… "

"Dead? Heh. You know, kid, I don't die that easily."

"But my brother defeated you…"

"What a shame." Greed covered his eyes with a theatrical gesture. Then, he grinned again, showing off at least sixty-four pointed teeth.

"Hey, if you wanna hear the story, just drop down. Let's chat. How's your bro doing?"

"Fine, thank you," Al said automatically as he settled down on a couch. "He's on an assignment now."

"I'm glad he hadn't come." The tall man slicked his hair back. "He'd try to kill me. Again."

"Why, Greed?" Alphonse looked into the violet eyes sternly. "Why did you make him think that he killed you? You just wanted to get away from the other homunculi chasing you, right?"

"Partly." Greed held up his hand. "But I wanted to make him able to kill. He needed the experience for to be able to finish off those bastards."

"He felt awful about it!"

"But he killed them, right? He was able to do what was necessary to reach his goal. Or am I wrong?"

Al didn't say anything. Greed leaned forward and snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face.

"Hey, cheer up, will ya? Everything is fine, isn't it? Tell me, why are you chasing Evans?"

"Oh, yes! Err, I'm sure you know that he was smuggling rare and illegal alchemical components. In fact I guess he was one of your men."

"True." Greed nodded with an amused smile.

"Okay. But did you know that he killed two soldiers and a young State Alchemist?"

The homunculus blinked.

"I knew about the soldiers and I have to tell you, I wasn't exactly pleased by the news. But a State Alchemist… I didn't think he would go that far."

"Do you know anything concerning his whereabouts?"

"Maybe. He has a hideout in Khedra, a small town east from this city. But he's rumored to have some connections in Lione too."

"That's good!" Al jumped up and bowed. "I'll go now if you don't mind… wait a minute." He narrowed his eyes and put his hands on his waist. "Why did you just tell me all of this? Were you lying? Or did you just betray one of your men?"

Greed folded his arms and glanced up sideways to the blond boy.

"I told the truth and I have my reasons. I'm greedy; I do whatever brings me more profit."

"I see." Al nodded slowly. "And aren't you afraid that I'll use the information against you? You told me that Evans is your man. That could get you into jail."

The homunculus grinned again.

"Believe me, I'm smart enough to know what to say. You can't get me behind bars. Who would deliver those rare and almost illegal alchemical components to the military then?"

The caramel eyes widened.

"Don't tell me you are…"

"Yes I am. Hey, what do you think, how was I able to build up this little haunt of sin? The whole city is in my pocket since my money helped to develop it into this flashy place."

"You're truly amazing," Al admitted in defeat.

"It is a pleasure to hear." Greed stood up and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "If you need anything, feel free to come around, kid."

"It is a dangerous game you're playing," Al told him quietly. "I'm the dog of the military, don't forget that."

"Don't worry." Greed gave the thumbs up. "Well then… I'm looking forward to see you again."

"You most certainly will," the young alchemist smiled. He bowed to Martel and Dolchet and left.

Greed stood there for a while staring at the door.

"Dolchet."

"Yes, boss?"

"Go tell the guys to stop the pursuit after Evans. That idiot isn't worth the risk of any of us getting caught and sentenced because of murder. We'll leave it to the kid to handle him."

Dolchet left immediately. Martel looked up at her boss.

"Greed… You want him, don't you?"

"Is it that obvious?" The tall man glanced back over his shoulder. "I must be getting old."

"Cut the crap, I've been working with you since three years; I had the chance to get to know you a little. I can recognize that gleam in your eyes when you desire something. That's why you gave him the information about Evans although you wanted to kill that bastard with your own hands. After all, he ran away with your money."

"You're a smart girl, aren't you?" Greed dropped down next to the blonde woman and ruffled her hair with a smile. "Yes, I want that kid. He's… kind of special. But you see, there is that thing called equivalent trade. In order to get something, you must sacrifice something. I sacrificed the pleasure of strangling Evans in order to get Al's trust."

Martel smiled back.

"You greedy thing."

"I take this as a compliment." The homunculus stood up. "Let's go. We still have some business to do before bedtime."

The end

**Note3**: I drank some strawberry vodka when I was about 18 although the amount wasn't worth mentioning. But it tasted nice. And Al couldn't finish it anyway.

**Note4**: I think I'll make a whole series out of this. By the end, Mufurc will be pleased to see Al and Greed in bed.

2004-VI-20 22:18


	2. Answers

**Disclaimer**: see part 1.

**Warnings**: AU; lots of incorrect information about homunculi

**Beta (and lotsa' nitpick )**: Mufurc

**Note**: This is the second story in the "Equivalent trade" – series. Greed's affection for Alphonse is still quite Platonic… Although an SD Greed is sitting on the top of my monitor, booted feet dangling lazily; he smiles at me showing off his pointy teeth and keeps humming Queen's "I want it all". Now honestly, how could I resist?

**Note2**: Because the story is rather light in the sex department, I decided to introduce the new chars and I also added some scientific babble. Hey, it's a SERIES.

**Note3**: Please, keep in mind, that this is an alternate universe story. Forget about that Greed turned into raspberry juice and that his bones crumbled to dust. Those things never happened in this particular universe. Plus, because I've just watched FMA 35-42, Martel is alive as well, because I like her. Just forget about the eps after the 34th.

Equivalent trade

Part two

The pain vibrating in his brother's small cry stabbed a knife into Edward's heart. He clapped his hands together and put them on the ground to raise a wall between Al and the attackers.

"Stupid me," he cursed under his breath. "I should have known that they WOULD put up a gunfight on the main street." He turned to his brother, who sat in the shadows, biting his lips, pressing a hand firmly against his thigh. As Ed knelt down next to him, for his greatest horror, he noticed the blood on Al's white glove.

"You've been shot." For a fleeting moment, the Fullmetal Alchemist felt very small. But he shook his head and proceeded to pull his brother to his feet.

"Hang on, Al, I'll take you out."

"B… brother…Rush Street thirteen's back door… Take me there!"

"Huh??"

"I've been there before. Trust me, it's a safe place."

Ed hesitated for a heartbeat but he had no better idea; so he threw his arm around his brother and began to hurry down on the shady alleys. The night descended quickly, hiding them from the attackers.

"Okay, and what now?" Ed panted as he stopped in front of the metal back door of a large three-story building. "What is this place anyway?"

"Just knock and tell them that the Elric brothers are here," Al whispered with a weak smile. He lost a serious amount of blood; he was struggling to stay conscious.

Ed shrugged and banged his fist to the door. A small window opened and a pair of dark eyes glanced out.

"What?"

"The Elric brothers are here! Open up, my brother is injured!"

"Should I care?"

Ed's amber eyes flashed and he raised his hands to clap but Al was quicker.

"Tell Dolchet that Alphonse Elric needs help!" He said loudly and then collapsed.

"Al!!" Edward knelt down and gathered his brother into his arms. The seconds seemed hours until the door opened and a tall, broad-shouldered guy stepped out.

"Get in. I'll help to carry him."

The thug lifted Al's slim body easily and brought him into the building. Ed followed quickly, glancing around nervously.

The blue-clad boy was laid on a leather-covered bench and the man examined the injury with experienced eyes.

"Simple gunshot. Just a scratch but it hit a major vein, that's why it's bleeding so badly. Could you bandage it? I'll call the doctor."

"Why are you helping us?" Ed looked up. "What is this place?"

The thug grinned.

"Welcome in the Devil's Nest. And I'm helping you because I was ordered."

He left the older Elric and went to the phone which hung by the entrance. Ed didn't hesitate much; he transmuted some bandage and quickly wrapped it around his brother's thigh. It wasn't the best first aid job ever but hopefully it would do.

By the time he finished, somebody came running down on the stairs. Ed looked up and his brow furrowed. The swordsman in brown and blue clothes looked very familiar.

"Dolchet." The thug bowed his head. "The one called Alphonse has a shot wound, I already phoned to Doctor Nelson."

"Good job, Max." The swordsman nicked his head and turned to Ed. He leaned closer and sniffed the air, then smiled.

"Good evening, Edward Elric. Come with me, the boss already opened a room for you."

He picked Al up and started to walk up on the stairs. Ed – there was nothing else to do – followed him. The swordsman went to the third floor and opened the door. They were in the public part of the building now, on a richly ornamented corridor. The floor was covered with a thick green carpet; golden knobs glittered on the mahogany doors.

Dolchet hurried to the end of the hallway and stopped in front of one door.

"Open it," he told to Ed. "The key is in the lock."

Ed obeyed and then, he watched as the swordsman gently laid his brother on the bed.

"Sit down; the doctor will be here soon."

Ed went to the bed and settled down next to Al.

"Dolchet, right?" He looked at the swordsman. "You seem familiar."

"It was two years ago, in the previous Devil's Nest." The man smiled. "You have a damn good right hook."

Edward's amber eyes widened from realization.

"You were one of Greed's men!"

"Ssh! Keep quiet around the injured!" Dolchet folded his arms. "Yes, that's right. I'm his right-hand man."

"Then why are you helping us? Why is this place called Devil's Nest? And why did Al say that this is a safe place?"

"Two months ago, he came here looking for a guy called Ken Evans. And Greed told him…"

"Greed is dead," Ed growled. "I killed him with my own hands."

"Oops, I shouldn't be here then…"

The Fullmetal Alchemist tilted his head to the side, where a tall, dark-clad man stood in the door. Next to him was a shorter guy, wearing a brown coat and holding a black bag. The latter rushed in with quick steps and knelt down next to the bed, throwing off the coat and rolling up his sleeves.

"What were you two doing?" Greed walked in. Ed pointed a shaking finger at him.

"You. Are. Dead. I saw you. We buried you. I killed you, for Heaven's sake!"

"If you want to shout my head off, please, come with me," Greed held his hand up. "We shouldn't disturb the doctor."

"I'm not going anywhere!" The look in Ed's eyes was murderous. "You can't seriously think that I'll leave Al in the hands of your henchman!"

"Excuse me," the doctor interrupted politely. "I'm not working for Greed. But feel free to stay, I think, you'll find it rather interesting." He reached into his bag and pulled out something. He held it over the wound – the bandage was cut off earlier – and Ed caught a glimpse of something reddish-pink. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light… and the wound disappeared.

"That's… that's an incomplete Philosopher's Stone!" Professional curiosity took over Edward and he stared at the doctor. "Where did you get it from?"

"About five years ago… I met a man named Tim Marco. We got acquainted and we traveled together for a while. He presented me with his trust. I got to know, that he was experimenting with the Philosopher's stone during the Ishbal War."

"I knew him," Ed nodded.

"Ah, really? How's he doing?"

"He died two years ago."

"What?" The doctor was shocked. "Oh my… I didn't know…"

"He gave it to you?"

"Oh, yes. He gave me this stone that I could help more people. Like in this case. He's your brother, right?

"Yes. Will he be okay?"

"Most certainly. I closed the wound so the only thing we have to worry about is the blood loss. But I've dealt with so many patients who lost more or less blood that I'm an expert in transmuting it…" The doctor chuckled a little. "It'll take some time though. Please, would you all leave for a while? I need to concentrate. Don't worry; I won't do any harm to him."

"Okay…" Ed sighed. "Please take good care of him."

"I will." The doctor reached into his bag and pulled out a set of small vials, jars and boxes; the boy recognized some of them. It was everything one needed to create blood; besides the adequate array of course.

"Come with me, kid," Greed beckoned to the golden-eyed alchemist. "I guess you have some questions…"

"You bet." The blond youth glanced back on the doctor, who was already lost in concentration; then followed the homunculus.

The tall man led Edward into the next room, which was just as elegant as the previous one; except, it was actually a suite. Greed sat down on the dark grey leather couch and motioned to the alchemist to take a seat too. Dolchet immediately stepped behind his boss, like a good bodyguard.

"Would you like something?" The homunculus asked. "To eat, to drink?"

"No, thanks. The only thing I'd like are answers. How it is possible that you're still alive?"

"You surely remember that I'm also called the Ultimate Shield. I can adjust the carbon in my body as I wish, creating a diamond-hard outer cover. But it works in the inside as well. When you stabbed your blade into me, I kind of formed a tunnel around it, so you couldn't scratch my most vital parts. I played dead until you buried me and then, I dug myself out."

Ed gaped at the homunculus.

"Do you know, how… bad it sounds? You're telling this like you'd talk about your lunch!"

Greed laughed.

"I know I'm making it seem like it's easy but in fact, it really is." The look in the violet eyes suddenly turned serious and the dark-clad man leaned closer.

"Hey, kid, I'm sorry. I know how you felt, Al told me about it. I understand that you're angry but I also guess that you can understand that it had to be done. You wouldn't have been able to kill the other homunculi if you hadn't finished me."

Ed folded his arms and leaned back. Greed was right but it did nothing to ease the anger the young alchemist felt.

"I'm not going to thank you."

"I wasn't expecting it, really." Greed smiled.

Ed opened his mouth to continue but in this moment, something unexpected happened. A small figure stepped through the door and launched towards the homunculus. The strange thing was that the door never opened.

Edward nearly jumped up and clapped his hands. Thank Heavens, his wits were quick enough to recognize, that the newcomer was a little girl, who crawled into the black-clad man's lap and threw her arms around his neck.

"Who…" Ed began but the door opened and a young blonde woman stormed in.

"I'm sorry boss, I told her that you're busy but she didn't listen! I couldn't stop her…"

"I'd be surprised if you were able, Martel." Greed smiled at the woman, clearly amused. Then, he placed a kiss on the little girl's forehead.

"Edward, let me introduce you Vanity, my… daughter."

The Fullmetal Alchemist's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared at the girl and the man alternately. She had pale skin, large violet eyes and brown hair caught in a ponytail. She was wearing a simple dark blue dress.

After some uncomfortably silent seconds, the girl offered her hand to the blond youth.

"Hi. Who are you?"

"I… I…" Ed shook his head. "I'm Edward Elric."

"Very nice to meet you!" Vanity chimed then turned to Greed. "Look, uncle! Tony has just arrived and he brought this for me!" She held up her wrist on which a golden bracelet was glittering. There was a violet gem inlaid into its middle.

"Oh, it is very pretty." Greed's voice was gentle. "It looks good on you, precious. But now, please listen to Martel and go to take a bath. Uncle has a guest and you know that…"

"That when you have a guest, I shouldn't burst in," the girl finished on a bored voice. "I know, but I miss youuu!" She buried her face into the fur lining on Greed's vest. "You haven't played with me at all since Monday!"

"I know and I'm sorry, sweetheart. I've been really busy. But this doesn't mean that you can break the rules. Now go with Martel, be a good girl. Tomorrow I'll take you out for some ice-cream, okay?"

"Okay!" Vanity jumped down from the homunculus lap and took the hand of the blonde woman. The latter turned to Ed, who was still totally dumbfounded.

"Hello!" She smiled. "We don't know each other yet so let me introduce myself. I'm Romi Martel."

"H… hi. Edward Elric." The young alchemist shook the woman's hand. She smiled and began to lead the girl out.

"Goodnight, princess!" Greed called after them. Ed heard Vanity's happy laughter as the door closed.

"Something wrong?"

The golden eyes slowly turned cold. Dangerous flames began to flicker in them and Ed clenched his fists.

"How could you do that, Greed?"

"Do what?" The homunculus looked puzzled.

"She's a homunculus too. You made a homunculus to play with? How could you? Did you murder her?" The last words were shouted. Dolchet grabbed his sword, ready to protect his boss from the alchemist's anger.

"Listen to me, will ya?" Greed sounded angry as well. "I didn't make her! Geez, you haven't changed at all, except that you've grown a little."

The comment caught Ed by surprise. Greed took advantage on the sudden silence and began to talk.

"I have nothing to do with her creation. I found her on the streets, half naked and starving. I recognized that she was a homunculus too, and I took her in. I also managed to find out what happened. His dad was an alchemist who came here two years ago to speak with Dante… Unfortunately, she was dead. The man wanted to find a medicine for his daughter's illness. But he failed and the girl died. The guy, in his final desperation attempted human transmutation."

"What happened?" Ed asked quietly. Greed let out a disgusted hiss.

"We found him. Or at least we guess it was him; it's damn hard to identify a corpse, when the head is missing."

"How did she take it?"

"She doesn't know, what happened." Seeing the young alchemist's dismay, he explained. "When a homunculus is born, he or she doesn't remember anything. Its mind is blank; knowledge on the world is still there but it bears no memories on its family, on its past life. As the years pass, the memories surface; the older a homunculus is, the more things it remembers. Vanity doesn't know that she's not human. None of us would know, unless somebody tells us."

Ed calmed down. He felt kind of strange; he only knew Greed as an enemy and here he was, taking the role of a father.

"When will you tell her?"

"I don't want to tell her," Greed said gravely. "I don't want to be the one who causes her pain. She'll remember and ask questions on her own. The Ouroboros mark is on the middle of her back so she won't notice easily but she'll see that people don't usually have powers like we do. On a day, I'll be forced to tell it to her; but I remember the day when I was born and I was told the truth. Even without a soul… it hurt."

"Um… well…" Ed scratched his head. "Y'know… I'm sorry. You're not a bad guy after all. You kidnapped my brother but I guess, he forgave you long ago… and I know he doesn't want me to hold grudges so… let's bury the past."

The black-clad man smiled.

"But don't forget: we're the dogs of the military and if our ways cross each other, we'll take you down."

"I'll try my best." Greed winked mischievously.

There was a knock on the door and Dolchet opened it. The doctor stood there. He looked a bit exhausted but he smiled proudly.

"The patient regained consciousness," he announced. "You can go and see him… What was your name again?"

"I forgot to introduce myself; forgive me." Ed stepped to the brown-haired man. "I'm Edward Elric."

"Oh, the famous Elric brothers! My name is Elias Nelson."

"Al! Are you okay?"

"Yes, brother, don't worry." Alphonse seemed a little pale but he smiled. "Doctor Nelson did an excellent job. Come to think of it… Doctor, when can I get up?"

"I'd say you should stay in bed for the next day," Nelson said seriously. "I restored your blood but it takes a little while until everything returns to its perfect working order. The day after tomorrow, you're free to go."

"You can rest assured, I'll catch those bastards on my own," Ed ruffled his brother's golden hair.

"No! I can't let you go alone!" Al nearly jumped up. "It's far too dangerous! Please brother, wait a little!"

"Who are you chasing now?" Greed asked.

"We only know their street names," Ed shrugged. "They're called Stray Cat Kyo and Snatch."

"Never heard of them," the homunculus shook his head. "They're not my men so maybe I can help. Tomorrow morning, I'll talk to Tony Ross and we'll see what we can do about those guys. Ed, feel free to stay with your brother. And this is your last chance to ask for food!"

"Okay, I give in."

"Then, goodnight to everybody." Nelson took his coat and bowed.

"Dolchet, escort the doctor out." Greed told to the swordsman, who nodded.

"Doctor Nelson!" Ed called after the brown-haired man then he turned to his brother. "Just a minute, I'll be right back."

Al nodded and the small-framed alchemist hurried out.

"Greed…"

"Yes?" The tall man turned to the boy sitting on the bed.

"Why… why are you helping us? There has to be a reason. It is equivalent trade, it always is."

Greed looked into the caramel eyes for a long moment, and then he leaned down and placed a kiss on the boy's forehead.

"I have my reasons and one day you'll get to know them. But now, rest. Your brother will come back soon."

And with that, the homunculus left the puzzled boy alone.

The end

** Note4**: Huh, I struggled so much with the names! But I like them. Hey, isn't Vanity just a darling? And how do you like Martel's first name?

** Special thanx**: to Galek for the information on wounds and blood loss; and to Mufurc for Marco's name and for the note on the abilities of the incomplete Philosopher's stone.

2004-VII-08


End file.
